Future En Route Workstation Study (Fews II) Part 2: Automation Integration Research

The expected increase in air traffic makes it essential to investigate how to develop tools to assist controllers best without sacrificing safety, efficiency, or workload. The Future En Route Workstation Study (FEWS I) concept takes an integrated approach to controller workstation development that applies best human factors principles to the design of the computer-human interface to promote more efficient and effective controller interaction. The current simulation assessed controller performance and workload using the Display System Replacement (DSR), the En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM), and the modified FEWS interface(FEWS II). We measured controller eye movements, situation awareness, ratings about system features and functions, workload, performance, and measures of aircraft efficiency at air traffic levels corresponding to levels anticipated for 2015 and beyond. The FEWS II configuration resulted in fewer data entries than DSR or ERAM, although it did not result in a reduction in workload. Controllers had a significantly lower number of controller deviations when using the FEWS II configuration with a two-person sector and Data Communications available. We showed a reduction in controller workload when Data Communications was available in a two-person sector. Regression analyses showed that at the same workload level, controllers could handle more aircraft when they worked as a team and Data Communications was available

Future En Route Workstation Study (FEWS I) Part 1: Evaluation of Workstation and Traffic Level Effects

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has projected a significant increase in air traffic over the next two decades. Compared to current traffic levels, estimates vary from 133% by 2015 to an average of 3 times (3X) by 2025. To meet the increase in demand, the Joint Planning and Development Office and the FAA are preparing the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Plans for NextGen include increased use of advanced technologies for communications, surveillance, navigation, and decision support, as well as a change in roles and responsibilities of air traffic controllers and pilots. This first Future En route Workstation Study has investigated increases in traffic levels and integration of automation functions on the controller working position. The controllers that participated in this study experienced traffic at current levels and at increased levels of 133% and 166% of current busy sectors. The participants worked these traffic levels using either a workstation that was similar to their current environment with the availability of Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) or a future concept environment that integrated several automation functions. The results indicate that when CPDLC and the additional future concepts were available, controllers could work 133% of current traffic levels (or 28 aircraft) at acceptable workload levels. When only Voice Communications were available, our workload measures indicated that several of the controllers experienced unacceptably high workload levels. At even heavier traffic volumes of 166% of current levels (or 35 aircraft), the bottleneck was no longer due to congestion of the voice channel but was likely due to the amount of information displayed on the ATC display

En Route Data Communications: Experimental Human Factors Evaluation

Data Communication (Data Comm) is one of the key enablers required for the implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) Plan. NextGen addresses increasing air traffic levels and complexity for 2015 and beyond (Joint Planning and Development Office, 2007). We present the experimental evaluation of Data Comm between en route controllers and pilots as an alternative to voice communication. We conducted the evaluation using an augmented emulation of the En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) system. In 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has started to replace the current Display System Replacement and Host Computer System with ERAM. We recorded and analyzed system, controller performance, and controller self-report data. We also recorded and analyzed controllers\u2019 eye movements and oxygenation levels of the prefrontal cortex using functional near infrared technology. Our results showed that the most useful Data Comm interface was the Human-Machine Interface that combined keyboard, template, and graphical capabilities. An increase in the proportion of the aircraft that were Data Comm capable reduced the frequency of voice communications and lowered controller workload. Data communication failure of individual aircraft did not affect controller performance, but partial or full system failure increased the number of voice communications and workload. For the aircraft that did not have an integrated Flight Management System (FMS), controllers did not opt to use voice communications more often than using Data Comm, but integrated FMS reduced their workload. Our analysis did not find a difference between first-come, first-served and best-equipped, best-served policies. On the basis of these results, we presented recommendations for the NextGen Data Comm

Usability Assessment of the fly.faa.gov Website

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Control System Command Center provides information about arrival and departure delays through its website: www.fly.faa.gov. This document reports results from a usability assessment of this website. Researchers from the FAA Human Factors Research and Engineering Group, Federal Aviation Administration NAS Human Factors Group William J. Hughes Technical Center Atlantic City International Airport, NJ 08405, conducted the assessment to determine how successfully users could complete common tasks, such as finding delay information, definitions of acronyms and aviation terms, and answers to frequently asked questions. We found that the participants were able to find most delay information easily, but had some difficulty finding non-delay information. Also, we identified some differences in performance between the expert users, moderate users, and novice users, with novice users typically having more difficulty finding information than moderate users and expert users. The assessment also examined user satisfaction. The participants reported a high level of user satisfaction, with no apparent differences based on their level of aviation-related expertise. However, the human factor so observations and questionnaire data indicated several areas of the website that could be improved. In this report, we provide a list of usability issues rated and ranked according to severity, and we provide recommendations for addressing these issues, which should help guide future enhancement efforts

Collocation of User Request Evaluation Tool, Traffic Management Advisor, and Controller Pilot Data Link Communications: An initial Human Factors Evaluation

This study was a human factors evaluation of collocating User Request Evaluation Tool (URET), Core Capability Limited Deployment, Traffic Management Advisor, and Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC), formerly Build 1A. Human Factors Specialists conducted the evaluation in two phases: a \u201cpaper and pencil\u201d study - Phase 1 and a modified cognitive walkthrough - Phase 2. They examined the tools from existing documentation and system design in the context of human factors best practices. Four primary human factors issues emerged from this analysis: 1) Computer-Human Interface (CHI) inconsistencies; 2) Radar Associate (RA)-side collocation and timely access to information; 3) Communication of information between the RA-side and Radar-side controllers; and 4) National Airspace System updates from the different tools. Results include recommendations for human factors engineering for integrating the URET, CPDLC, and Computer Readout Display information on the RA-side, as well as working toward improving CHI consistencies

Evaluation of Human Performance While Wearing Respirators

The goal of this study was to assess the feasibility of respirator use in Air Traffic Control and Technical Operations. We evaluated several models of Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPRs) and N95 respirators for usability, effects on human performance, and effects on the wearer\u2019s well-being. We found that binoculars could not be used with any of the PAPRs. Wearing a PAPR affected communication, but the characteristics of the respirator, especially the sound level and frequency spectrum of the noise, played a significant role in determining the extent of the effect and the subjective experience of wearing it. The accuracy levels of face-to face communication were below those that were considered to be minimally acceptable. For the N95 respirators, we found negative effects on face-to-face communication and observed obstructiveness during simulated maintenance

Human Factors Evaluation of Conflict Resolution Advisories in the En Route Domain

Objective: In this human-in-the-loop simulation experiment, we evaluated how Conflict Resolution Advisories (CRA) affected en route controllers. Background: Controllers currently use a conflict probe and trial planning tool, known as the User Request Evaluation Tool (URET), which is available on the Radar Associate Position. However, under Trajectory-Based Operations\u2014that is, Separation Management Modern Procedures (SepMan)\u2014several capabilities will become available to the Radar Position, including probed menus, conflict detection and trial planning, and support for multiple separation minima within a sector\u2018s airspace. The CRA Program is built upon the SepMan concept and will provide a proposed solution to a potential conflict as soon as a controller initiates the entry of a clearance. Method: Twelve current en route Certified Professional Controllers from Air Route Traffic Control Centers participated in the experiment. Results: CRA capabilities did not change controller workload nor time and distance flown by aircraft in the sector. Analysis of tactical and strategic conflict alerts show that controllers solved potential conflicts quickly when CRA was available. Most of the participants\u2018 subjective ratings favored the CRA, and participants expressed that CRA was a useful concept. Conclusion: The results show an advantage of CRA on some air traffic control tasks. In general, CRA was accepted by the participant controllers. Application: With a few modifications of the current CRA features and functions, the authors believe that CRA will be a useful automation tool for air traffic controllers

The Comparison of Air Traffic Controllers’ to College Students’ Memory Performance and Brain Activities

We compared controllers and college students memory task performance and brain activities while performing the task. The purpose of these comparisons was to test the hypothesis that controllers must have acquired special memorization skills from many years of air traffic control and that their brains would respond differently from college students’ brains. To perform the task, they must maintain a sequence of characters in their working memory and manipulate the characters. We compared controllers’ brain activities to college students’ recorded at the prefrontal cortex with functional near infrared (fNIR) spectroscopy while performing the task. Our results showed that controllers performed significantly better than college students. Controllers and college students also showed distinctly different brain activity patterns. Controllers used the areas of the prefrontal cortex more evenly than college students. We discuss the implications of the group difference

The Use of Functional near Infrared Spectroscopy (FNIRS) to Assess Cognitive Workload of Air Traffic Controllers

The performance of a Certified Professional Controller (CPC) can have a critical impact on safety. A specific concern is that a high cognitive load has been associated with performance decrement. Thus, it is important to continuously monitor and accurately assess CPC cognitive load. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Conflict Resolution Advisory (CRA), automation which provides CPCs with resolutions to avoid conflicts. In this study, we used functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to index cognitive workload of 12 CPCs from En Route centers. Results indicate that fNIRS measures were sensitive to air traffic level, but we did not find significant differences across CRA conditions. In addition, we conducted analysis on fNIRS data time-locked to selected events such as clearance commands. With this event-related analysis, we found differences among CRA conditions for different events. The findings indicate that fNIRS can be a potential objective workload measurement tool in the air traffic control domain